First things first

I’ve been reading in the Biblical book of 2nd Chronicles about the huge amount of wealth and effort that King Solomon invested in building a beautiful temple and royal palace, and equipping them with treasures made of solid gold. Sadly, it seems that those wonderful treasures were only there for 50 years or so. Early in the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, they were carried off by King Shishak of Egypt. Rehoboam had brought judgement on himself and his people by failing to build his life on a right foundation. 2 Chronicles 12 vs 14 says that he did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.

It’s not enough for us to be one of God’s people, simply because of a past decision to trust in Him for salvation. We also need to get our basic foundation, our attitude of heart right, or it will be very easy for us to slip into pursuing things that are wrong for us. Rehoboam already had a shaky foundation because his father had married foreign wives and his mother had been an Ammonite who worshipped false gods. But Rehoboam didn’t need to be determined by that; he could have made a personal choice to set his heart on seeking and obeying God, and that would have made all the difference.

In fact, we see in this chapter that even a small change in heart attitude can make a really big difference. Shishak was set on completely destroying Jerusalem, and God told the people that they had brought this upon themselves by abandoning the only true God. When the king and leaders heard this, they didn’t try to defend themselves or protest their innocence; they simply humbled themselves and acknowledged that God’s judgement was just.

Humility is a key that allows God to act on our behalf, even when we don’t deserve it. When God witnessed the humble heart attitude of the people, He moved in mercy and delivered them from the Egyptians. (See vs 5 - 7.) Lord, may I always respond with a humble heart to the situations and circumstances of my life.

However, sin still brought some consequences: although the people were not destroyed by Shishak, they still became “subject to him.” God allowed this (vs 8) so that they could learn the difference between serving the one true God and serving the rulers of other lands. 

The sad symbol of this settling for second best is that Rehoboam had bronze shields made  (vs 10 - 11) to replace the gold ones that had been carried off to Egypt. Those bronze shields were guarded diligently, just as people today might strive to protect something they cling to, but which is really only a second best. Many believers today are serving and “subject to” other things - things like prosperity, popularity, personal comfort or whatever - and they protect those things zealously... perhaps not even realising that those are only "bronze shields" and that they’ve allowed God’s best to be taken away from them.

What’s the key to living with God’s fullness of life and not with a second-best experience? We need to put first things first and set our hearts from the beginning on seeking and obeying the Lord. 

What have you set your heart on, more than anything else?